Lock.



A. L. SOHIVI.

LocK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1912.

Patented June 1, 1915.

E? A 7%@ wmm ran srarns amarrar ALFRED L. SOI-IM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SOI-IM ELECTRIC SIGNAL & RECORDING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

patenten aan@ i, rara.

Application led March 28, 1912. Serial No. 686,857.

which involve the simultaneous and accurate positioning, longitudinal of the axis ofthe key, of a plurality of wards, the idea being that` these wards can then be rotated in interior annular grooves. Bymeans of the key, these wards are moved into their respective proper places against the tension of springs and all of the wards must be held in just exactly their respective positions at the same time in order that the movable element of the lock may be free to operate,

and this makes it practically impossible to pick the lock or to open it in any way except by means of an authorized key.- There are other features which I employ to eliminate any possibilityof picking and, as a final precaution, I provide'an auxiliary feature which is really a lock in itself. rIhe combination of this auxiliary feature and the main features of the lock is important, however, since it insists upon a certain combination in the structure of the key and this emphasizes the difliculty of unauthorized duplication. 'y

Broadly, it is the idea of my invention to employ a stationary element and a rotary' element and to provide one of said elements with a plurality of annular grooves and the other of said elements with a plurality of longitudinally movable wards. The insertion of the key positions these wards with respect to the grooves and it becomes possible to turn the rotary element relative to the stationary element. 'Ihe wards may be made of di'erent thicknesses and di ll'eleut heights, and the grooves may be made of different widths and different depths and in this way the number of combinations for dierent locks is indefinitely multiplied und the. difficulty of unauthorized reproduction is infinitely increased. 'Ihe rotary element of the lock, of course, carries the boltthrower and it is a feature of my invention that this bolt-thrower is normally in an inoperative position and can be brought into an operative position only by the insertion of the proper key, Ihe two positions of the bolt-thrower may, of course, be used to advantage and I therefore make it part of some of the appended claims.

My invention is embodied in the device illustrated in the acompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view thereof, showing vthe key inserted; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view thereof, showing the key inserted; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the key; Fig. 4E is a cross-sectional view thereof taken on the line 1 -1 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is an end View of the lock; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the wards.

Like reference characters are applied to the same parts throughout the various figures.

The stationary element, which is adapted to be set firmly in a door, is in the form of a barrel 7 which has firmly secured on the inside thereof, the two oppositely disposed partial annuli 8, 8. In a suitable co-axial pocket in the front end of the barrel 7 and the annuli 8 a disk 9 is rotatably mounted,

this disk being provided with a peripheral groove 10 into which the ends of the screws 11, 11, engaging in the barrel and the annuli, extend, the front ends of the annuli being bridged by pieces 12, 12 to provide for the pocket referred to and the reception of the screws. It will be noted that these screws, when the parts are in position, have their heads flush with the periphery of the barrel 7 and that when the barrel is disposed properly .in a door, these screws are inaccessible and hidden.

Disposed in a co-axial pocket at the rear cud of the barrel is a disk 13 which is rotatable and which is connected with the disk El bv menus of a plurality of tubes 14, 14, in this euse foul' in number. The disks 9 and ,lil and the tubes 1i, 14, form the rotatable element of the lock, and operate as a unit. The 'axes of the tubes 1-i, 14; are arranged eilculnrly about the axis of the barrel and the key, as will be described later, is adapted to pass between the tubes as illustrated in F ig. fl, there being two tubes on one side of the key and two on the other side, as shown.

- gitudinal slot 15,

fao

I of the key may be determined, and

` will `engage the front faces of 28 lie in diffrent cross-p Each of the tubes 14 is provided with a lonextending practically in the entire length thereof, and this provides for the accommodation in the tube of the carrier 16 from which the ward 17 extends. rIhe carrier 16 is in the form of a small rod and ts snugly within the tube. The ward which is preferably integral with the part 16, extends out of the tube through the slot 15 and passes either upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, into the 'correspending space between the partial annuli 8, 8. The wards carried by the upper tubes extend upwardly and those carried by the lower tubes extendf downwardly. Between each of the carriers 16 and the disk 13 a helical spring 18 is disposed and this spring tends to maintain all the carriers at the forward ends of the tubes.V As will be described presently, when the key is inserted the wards are properly distributed along the length of the tube.

The annuli 8, 8 are provided with a plurality of interior annular grooves 19, 19 which are properly kdistributed along the axis of the annuli, one being provided for each ward. In other words, each ward has a groove of its own and when it is brought into proper position it may ride in that groove. When all the wards are inposition -to ride in their respective grooves, the rotary element of the lock may turn relative 'to the stationary element thereof and it will be clear that such operation will be impossible if any one or more ofthe wards are out of position. The key, which is illustrated at 20, is provided with a finger piece 21,.a body 22, and a shoulder 23 separating these two parts. The body of the key is adapted to tit snugly 'n a slot in thedisk 9 and also in a slot in the disk 13 so that the axialposition the shoulder 23 is adapted to engage the face of the disk 9 so that the longitudinal position lof the key 'may be determined.u The slot in the disk .9 illustrated in dotted lines at 124 and this slot is supplemented at the side by a groove. 25lwhich is adapted for the reception of a ridge 426 extending lengthwise of thekey atpthe middle of one of the -faces thereof. This-determines the top and boty tom position ofthe key.

` Each face 'of the body of the key is provided with tablesvor projections 27 and the faces 28, 28 of these tables or projections are the code surfaces of the key. The ridges are in such position that their faces 28, 28 the 'wards 17, 17 and, against the tension-of the springs 18, 18, will move them rearwardly to a certain and definite extent. As will be seen from Fig. 3,'these projections or tables 27, 27 are variously distributed, that is, the faces 28, lanes, and it will be seen that when the key 1s inserted to its fulll required may impossible, one of the est extent, that is, when the shoulder 23 cngages the face of the disk 9, the wards will be variously distributed along the axis of the lock. If the proper key is used, the wards will all be brought opposite their respective grooves in the annuli and, still holding the shoulder 23 against the face of the disk 9, it becomes possible to rotatethe disk 13, which carries the bolt-thrower as will be pointed out, relative to the stationary element. The tension of the springs 18, 18 need not be great and there is no appreciable resistance in the insertion of the key and in holding the key fully inserted during the turning movement.

The grooves 19, 19 may all be of the same size and shape and the variations in the various blocks may be obtained by various distributions of the grooves along the length of the axis of the lock. Since there may be four, or even more, wards, and since the variations in the placements may be very small and still be ample, the possible variations are practically infinite. If desired, the

,. other ward, and this adds materially to the extreme diiiiculty in picking the lock. For instance, I have made the ward a short and thick while I have made the word d comparatively long and` thin, the wards?) and c being of intermediate proportions. vIt will be apparent that such an arrangement would prevent the ward a from lentering the slot for the ward b, or vice versa, and would prevent any otherimproper arrangement. In order to make it all the more diiicult to locate the positions of the various slots I corrugate the faces 29, 29 of the annuli 8 s o that a burglar, using a pick, would be unable to distinguish between the -grooves thus formed and the grooves 19. For the same l purpose, I round the edges of the face of the ward 17, and I provide a horizontal ridge 30 thereonpso as to make the use of a hook on these wards all the more difficult. I also provide the dummy slot 19.`

It will be seen that the degree of accuracy be very great and that variations in manufacture are easily produced.

In 'order for the rotary member to vturn relative to the stationary member, it is necessary that all of the wards be brought into just exactly the proper position and that they be held there against the tension ofthe springs during the rotary movement. Even supposing; that three of the wards be brought and held in the proper position,rwhich is quite the fourth ward will still engage faces 29 of the annuli, and rotation will be impossible.

The disk 13 projects beyond the rear face menait of the barrel 7 and. is provided with a diametrical dove-tail groovev 31 of a depth approximately equal to the projection. A. boltthrower 32 is in the form of a slide disposed in this dove-tail groove. The rear face of the barrel 7 is provided with an annular groove 33 and is also provided with a radial slot 34 inthe plane of the axis ofthe dovetail groove. A pin 35 is carried on the inner side of the slide bolt-thrower 32 and normally engages in the slot 34. It is held in this position by means of a spring 36 carried upon the disk 13 audits engagement in the slot determines the normal position of the bolt-thrower. lt will be noted that the key is provided at its end with a surface 37 inclined to the axis. The key is adapted to extend through a slot 38 in the boltthrower 32 and the surface 37 is adapted to engage the face 39 of the slot 38. rlhe slot is in such position that when the key is inserted such engagement will cause the movement of the bolt-thrower against the tension of the spring 36 to the extent of moving the pin 35 from the slot 34 and bringing it into line with the annular slot 33. The parts are so proportionedthat this arrangement will be assumed when the key is fully inserted and it will be seen that upon rotation the pin 35 may ride in the annular slot 33. lf the bolt-thrower isnot properly moved by the key the pin 35 will not be moved from the slotl 34 into line with the slot 33 and rotation will be impossible. The normal engagement of the pin 35 in the slot 34 is thus an additional precaution and the key must therefore be provided with the proper oblique surface and length in addi-y tion to the necessity for the proper distribution of the engaging surfaces 28, 28 thereon.

l have provided a device which secures the results above enumerated without an intricate, complicated and expensive construction. rllhe spaces between the annuli may be opened to view by means of the'slide parts 7a, 7a in the barrel 7 and in this way inspection and repair, when the device is removed from the door,is provided for. The bolt-thrower occupies two positions, one of which may be made the inoperative position and the other the operative position. 'llhe operative position is attainable only when the proper key is inserted. My invention is not concerned with the bolt and l make no reference thereto except to point out that the bolt-thrower and its two positions may be used in any advantageous manner.

il claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a' lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, and a plurality of. independently restrained longitudinally movable wards carried by said rotatable element, saidstationary element having a corresponding plurality of annular grooves dis- `posed side by side at irregular intervals,

in which groove said wards may ride.

2. Inra lock, a stationary element, a ro tatable element, a plurality of independently restrained longitudinally movable Wards carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having a single annular groove for each of said wards, said grooves being disposed side by side.

3. ln a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a plurality of independently restrained longitudinally movable wards carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having a corresponding plurality of annular grooves disposed side by side at right angles to the axis of said rotatable element, in which grooves said wards may ride.

4. ln a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a plurality of longitudinally movable wards carried by said rotatale element, said wards being distributed along the axis of said rotatable element at irregular intervals, a single annular groove for each ward in said stationary element, and a spring for each ward tending to hold it out of line with its corresponding groove.

5. ln a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, longitudinally movable wards carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having annular grooves disposed at right-angles to the axis of the rotatable element in which grooves said wards may, ride, spring ltending to hold said wards out of line with said grooves, and 100 a key for insertion in said rotatable part, said key having engaging surfaces along its side to encounter said wards and bring the same into line with said grooves.

6.In a lock, a stationary barrel, a ro- 105 tatable disk in the front of said barrel, a rotatable` disk in the rear of said barrel, a plurality of tubes connecting said disks, each of `said tubes having a longitudinal slot, a spring in each tube, an interior lon- 110 gitudinal slot at the top of said barrel and at the bottom thereof, and a ward bearing in each tube in front of the spring therein and extending through the slot in the tube into the corresponding slot in the barrel, said barrel having annular interior slots in which said wards may ride when brought" into position by a key inserted through slots in said disks.

7. ln a'lock, a stationary member, a ro- 120 tatable member, a longitudinally movable ward on one of said members, a single complete annular groove on the other of said members, in which groove said ward may ride, and means normally .maintaining said ward out of line with said groove.

8. In a lock, a stationary member, a rotatable member, a bolt thrower sliding diametrically in said rotatable member, `a pin on said bolt thrower, there being an annular groove in said stationary member in which said pin may ride when brought into line by the insertion of a key.

9. In a look, a stationary member, a rotatablemember, a bolt throv'ver sliding diametrioally in said rotatable member, a pin on said bolt-throiver, there being an annular engaging in a slot in said throWer to move groove in said .Stationary member in which said pin may ride, means for normally maintaining said pin out of`line With said groove, and a key having an oblique end forsaid pin into line With said groove When brought into line by the insertion of a key.

10. In a lock, astationary barrel, a rotatable disk in the front 'of said barrel, a

- rotatable disk inthe rear of said barrel, a

plurality of tubes 'connecting said disks, each of said tubes having a longitudinal slot, a spring in each tube, an interior longitudinal slot at the top of said barrel and at the bottom thereof, a Ward bearing in each tube in front of the spring therein and extending through the slot in the tube into the corresponding slot in the' barrel, said barrel havingannular interior slots in which said Wards may ride when brought into position by a key inserted through slots .in

key having a shoulder to engage with the forward disk to determine its normal position.

11. In a lock, a stationary element having a longitudinal slot therein, theside of said -slot beingcorrugated, aV rotary element, a

longitudinally movable Ward Carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having an annular groove in Which said Ward may ride and having an extra annular groove.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name 'this 22nd day of March, A. D., 1912.- f

ALFRED L. soHM.

VWitnesses:

ARTHUR H. BOETTCHER, ALBIN C. AHLBERG. 

